The Great Griffin Escape: Part 1

(A Detailed Version Of A True Story)

I was sitting astride my golden, turquoise, and black scaled pteranodon, Thorondor. It was just after sunrise, and the sky was bright with pinks, oranges, and golds all swirled together in a beautiful display. It was nearly freezing atop the mountain. The hide clothes I had on provided little protection from the freezing temperatures. As I held tightly onto the reins of Thorondor, I looked to the left. There, was my perfectly set up trap, made of stone and unbreakable wood. The gates on either end were open, waiting to cage their next victim. Looking to my right, there was a beautiful beast lying on the ground. It had the beak, wings, and front talons of a great eagle and the back legs and tail of a lion. Its countless feathers were stained with blood and it’s sides no longer rose or fell. The Griffin was dead. I had never meant I kill it, but it made a wrong move and I had no choice. It was either me or it, and it was going to be me. I looked forward again and over the edge of the mountain side. There, lying along the ground, was another Griffin. Its feathers were a deep shade of brown and it was snaking happily on a small Lystrosaurus in its talons. That was the one. That was my target. But before I even had the time to gather my supplies, the Griffin stopped its meal and looked up to sniff the air. Something had caught its attention. I looked around, worried that something dangerous was nearby but I saw nothing but cliff-side and redwoods far below. I turned my gaze to rest on the Griffin again, but to my surprise, it had vanished. I cautiously guided Thorondor to the very edge of the cliff and looked over it. Before I could even react, I was met, face to face with the golden eyes of the Griffin. Its beak was stained with Lystrosaurus blood and its claws were unsheathed. It was ready to kill. “MEN HI!” (GO NOW) I yelled pulling back on the reins of Thorondor and guiding her into the air. The Griffin shrieked and swiped its enormous front left foot, armed with three razor sharp talons, at the beak of my pteranodon. I pulled back desperately on the reins and the swing of the Griffin missed by no more than an inch. Immediately, I turned Thorondor around and gently tapped her with my foot, telling her to accelerate to a full speed fly. She called back to me in recognition and continued onward as fast as her wings could carry her. The could hear the hurricane of wing beats behind Thorondor and I as the Griffin perused its target. The hunters had become the hunted. But I refused to look over my shoulder, I knew exactly where I needed to go. No more than 20 feet away from me, was the trap. I was not planning on this situation, but it might be my only shot at survival. Then, Thorondor let out a short cry as she gave way to another small burst of speed. I didn’t want to look back, but I knew that the Griffin had bit her, and gravely at that. “Ech pol car ed…” (You can make it…) I said softly to her, hoping the same thing to myself. Before I even knew it, we were at the entranceway of the trap, with the brown Griffin directly behind us. Without hesitation, I led Thorondor inside, mazing quickly between the stone pillars in the center of the trap, made to catch the Griffin. As soon as I passed the pillars and was out into the chilling air, I led Thorondor around in a circle to go and close the gates. But to my dismay, I found the face of the Griffin instead. Quick as lightning, it flew forward and slashed a large hole in the right wing of Thorondor. She shrieked, and flapped desperately, but it was of no use, her wing would never work. With a cry of despair, Thorondor gave in and we fell from the sky, landing with a thud on the ground that was five feet below us. I immediately jumped off of Thorondor as I knew that she could not carry me any further. I rolled onto my back on the grass and looked up, the wind knocked out of my lungs and my right arm throbbing. There, hovering above us, was the brown Griffin. It had caught its prize at last. Thorondor made a small sound as she desperately clawed at the ground, hauling herself forward another few inches. But we both knew that it was useless. We were at the mercy of a Griffin, and we were about to be breakfast. With a mighty shriek, the Griffin reared its head back and unsheathed its back claws. It was about to swoop down and finish us off. Then, out of nowhere, an enormous, white scaled snout appeared. It grabbed the Griffin in its banana size teeth and reared backwards as the Griffin cried out in agony. Standing only a few feet away from the trap, was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Griffin desperately scratched and bit at the T-Rex’s muzzle, but it was useless. The Rex growled inwardly as it bit down hard into the Griffin’s abdomen, breaking its back. The Griffin fell limp as the Rex sniffed, turned around, and walked away, it’s footsteps shaking the earth. I guess we get to live another day.